Over the past ten years, the cellular phone has evolved from a device used only by an elite segment of the population to a device used by the masses. One research report indicates that the number of cellular phone subscribers in the United States alone has increased from approximately 3.5 million at the start of 1990 to 60 million in 1998 to over 100 million in year 2000. (The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, Semi-Annual Wireless Industry Survey, Mar. 2001. According to another report; 38% of consumers say that they have a lot (16%) or some (22%) interest in having their cellular phone replace their home telephone, forming primary and secondary markets for “cutting the cord.” (P. D. Hart Research Associates, The Wireless Marketplace in 2000, Feb. 2000). In addition, research also shows that cellular phone subscribers are looking forward to wireless data services to include more options, such as wireless e-mail, text messaging and Internet access. (Id.)
More and more services are becoming available for cellular phone, and newer, smaller, more sophisticated cellular phones continue to penetrate the marketplace. At the same time, however, very few people carry portable radios or televisions. This is probably because carrying a typical portable radio or television is inconvenient due to their large and bulky size. Therefore, it would be advantageous to a listener to be able to use wireless phones to obtain continued access to radio, television audio, or other public audio broadcasts.